Review: Shin Godzilla is a Colossal Disappointment.
- Feb 19, 2017
- 2 min read
From his origins in nuclear warfare to his most recent American incarnation, Godzilla has been a staple of cinema for over half a century. The latest film to come from Japan is a reboot, a classic monster for a modern age.
When a strange creature is sighted in Tokyo Bay, the Japanese government begin deliberating. As a monster shuffles its way through the streets, decisions must be made. When the beast begins to mutate, more and more talking happens. It's not until the largest monster the world has ever seen reemerges from the ocean that the government takes any action, but it may be too late.
As you probably guessed, there's a lot of politics in Shin Godzilla and, unexpectedly, it's the best part of the whole movie. Clearly inspired by disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and the recent Fukishima meltdown, the characters act in a manner that is both realistic and aggravating. Scenes of destruction are intercut by conferences and debates and somehow, a bunch of officials trying to decide what to do next remains the most interesting component of what is otherwise a dull and boring movie.
Godzilla himself mutates over the course of the film. First appearing as a reptilian fish, then a small and confused version of its classic self with eyes that wouldn't look out of place on a goldfish. The final mutation is enormous, the biggest it has ever been, and, from a design sense, looks pretty good. Its skin is gnarled, the teeth are similar to that of a crocodile's and the size of the eyes is thankfully reduced. But never once does it feel alive. The monster is mostly CG but seems animated in such a way to emulate a man in a rubber suit. There is no life in the beast, it spends 90% of the film standing completely still and sometimes looks as if it was created using poor stop motion effects.
There's a plethora of other issues as well. Be it woeful pacing, unguided direction or no consistent style, Shin Godzilla is really messy. One moment the cameras all up in people's faces as they discuss how to beat Godzilla as totally inappropriate music plays in the background, the next, a solemn meeting as the president gives the go ahead for a missile strike. It's incredibly jarring and stilted.
It's a Godzilla movie where Godzilla is barely memorable. It's easy to compare it to America's 2014 film which, while having it's own share of problems, had hands down the best cinematic Godzilla I've ever seen. While the political components are interesting, they aren't interesting enough to carry the film and the monster itself barely qualifies as either scary or cool. If you're looking for your next monster fix, look somewhere else.
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